Cable with an integrated coiling and reinforcing wrapper

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a cable, which carries signal, having an integrated coiling and reinforcing wrapper. The cable has a segment near an end that is stiffer than the cable generally. This segment can be bent by hand, and once bent, will retain its bent shape. If the flexible part of the cable is wrapped into a coil, or otherwise gathered together, then the stiffer portion can be bent around the gathered portion to secure it in its gathered form.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cables that carry signal. Morespecifically, it relates to a adaptation for reinforcing and coilingsuch cable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a cable with an integrated coiling andreinforcing wrapper. The cable carries “signal,” which we define toinclude at least data, electricity, light, and audio/video information.

The cable has a segment near an end that is stiffer than the cablegenerally. This segment can be bent by hand, and once bent, willessentially retain its bent shape. If the flexible part of the cable isgathered or wrapped into a coil (which we define to include a z-fold orother gathering or bundle), then the stiff portion can be bent aroundthe coil to secure the coil in place.

As an exemplary embodiment, consider a data cable. The flexible sectionmay be surrounded by an outer jacket, possibly fabricated from a polymeror from rubber. To produce a stiff wrapper near a connector at an end ofthe cable, the outer jacket might be replaced or augmented in the stiffsegment with a component into which a length of bendable but relativelystiff wire (e.g., copper or copper alloy wire) is molded. The stiffsegment might be surrounded with a shrink-wrap or injection-moldedcovering (e.g., rubber or polymer) that holds everything in place.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1a is a top view of a cable that includes an integrated coiling andreinforcing wrapper.

FIG. 1b is a side view of a cable that includes an integrated coilingand reinforcing wrapper.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cable that includes integrated coilingand reinforcing wrappers on each end, showing a flexible segment in acoiled form.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a cable, with a stiffer segment wrapped aroundthe flexible segment, securing it in coiled form.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual cross section through an exemplary flexiblesegment of a cable that includes an integrated coiling and reinforcingwrapper.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual cross section through an exemplary stiffenedsegment of a cable that includes an integrated coiling and reinforcingwrapper.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the coiling of a w-cable and securingthe coil with the stiff section, then unwrapping the stiff segment fromaround the coil.

FIG. 7 is a detailed cross section through an exemplary stiffenedsegment of a cable that includes an integrated coiling and reinforcingwrapper.

FIG. 8 is a view of an opened and flattened segment of a middle flexlayer, which illustrates slits that integrate the middle flex layer tothe outer flex layer.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for assembling a cablethat includes an integrated coiling and reinforcing wrapper.

FIG. 10a is a conceptual diagram illustrating aspects of a cyllindricalcoordinate system as applied to a cable.

FIG. 10b is a conceptual diagram illustrating a cross section throughthe cable of the previous figure, showing additional aspects of acyllindrical coordinate system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

This description provides embodiments of the invention intended asexemplary applications. The reader of ordinary skill in the art willrealize that the invention has broader scope than the particularexamples described here. It should be noted from the outset that thedrawings, and the elements depicted by the drawings, are not to scale.

Cables in common transmit “signal”—e.g., light, sound, video,electricity, and/or data. Such cables include, for example, UniversalSerial Bus (USB) cables, power cords, audio and/or video cables, datacables, and fiber optic cables. All these cables terminate at one end,or at each end, with a connector or jack.

Such cables are prone to deterioration and breakage near the criticalpoint where the flexible portion of the cable enters the connector. Somecables relieve this problem with reinforcement near the critical point,but such reinforcements are designed specifically to resist bending soas retain their shape. Without reinforcement, many cables eventuallyfray or even break near the critical point.

A user needs a cable that is long enough for each of their particularusages, but it is rare that an off-the-shelf cable will be exactly theright length for every use (or for even one use). A longer cable givesus more usage options, but has the side-effect of excess cable length.As a practical matter, for anyone with a collection of computers andperipherals, unsightly cables seem to be everywhere. One solution is tocoil the excess length, and then wrap the coil with some externalwrapper, such as a strap or a twist tie. Such external wrapper items areeasy to lose or misplace. Also, coiling the wire may actually exacerbatethe deterioration problem in the critical area near the connector.

FIGS. 1a and 1b are top and side views, respectively, of one end of anillustrative cable with an integrated coiling and reinforcing wrapper(hereinafter “w-cable”) 100, which we may sometimes refer to as a“stiffened cable”. The cable 100 includes an integrated stiffenedsegment 110, which protects the core 400 of the cable in the criticalarea where the cable attaches to the connector 140. The core 400 of thecable is the inner portion, operative to carry signal. The core 400 mayinclude, for example, wires, sheathing, and/or insulation. Outside thecritical area, in flexible segment 130, the cable 100 has ordinary cableconstruction. The particular exemplary cable shown is a USB cable, whichhas a case 150 over a portion of the connector 140. In some embodiments,such a case might cover a portion of the stiffened segment 110. Eitherend or both ends, of the stiffened segment 110 may be capped with anannulus- or donut-shaped cap, whose purpose is to retain the componentsof the stiffened segment 110 in position when the cable 100 is in use,preventing radial, circumferential, and longitudinal stretching andshifting.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an illustrative cable 100 in a coiledform. The coil 200 in the figure is a “straight coil” or spool. However,we mean the word “coil” in a broader sense; namely, a gathering up atleast a portion of the length of the cable. Such other types of coilinginclude, for example, over/under coiling, z-folding, and more-or-lesshaphazard bunching of the cable.

This particular cable 100 has a stiffened segment 110 on each end,proximate or adjacent to the respective connector 140. When feasible,this arrangement has the advantages of protecting both ends of thecable, and of allowing the excess slack to be taken out of the cable ateither end. In some cases, the cable 100 may be permanently attached toa device at one end—for example, a power cord attached to a desk lamp.

In any case, at least one end of a cable 100 will have a stiffenedsegment 110. We will refer to such end of the cable 100 as the“proximal” end. The other end will be referred to as the “distal” end.

FIG. 3 shows a coil 200 from the side, with the stiffened segment 110 ofan illustrative cable 100 bent around the flexible segment 130. If thecoil 200 here were viewed from the top (not shown), it might haveapproximately the shape of an hourglass or the numeral ‘8’. Thestiffened segment 110 of a cable 100 is flexible enough to be bent byhand around the flexible segment 130, or a portion thereof. Thestiffened segment 110 secures the cable 100 in the coil 200configuration. Once the stiffened segment 110 is bent into anothershape, it retains that shape (or essentially retains that shape) untilbent again. From the coiled and wrapped configuration, the stiffenedsegment 110 can be unwound by hand from around the coil 200, releasingthe flexible segment 130.

FIG. 4 is a cross section through the flexible segment 130 of anexemplary cable 100. For illustration, the layers in FIGS. 4 and 5 arecircular, but that is not a restriction on the scope of the invention.These layers might have various shapes in cross section. The flexiblesegment 130 of the figure has a flexible jacket 410 enclosing a core400. The core 400 might include a plurality of components. Thecomponents might include, for example, wire, glass, sheathing, andinsulation. There might be voids filled with air or other gas(es).

FIG. 5 is a cross section through the stiffened segment 110 of anexemplary cable 100. The illustrated flexible segment 130 includes astiffening layer 500 and a sheath 520 or jacket that surround andprotect the core 400. The stiffening layer 500 provides the stiffness,while allowing the cable 100 to bend and wrap the flexible segment 130when the flexible segment 130 is coiled. When bent into a configuration,the stiffened segment 110 retains, or essentially retains, its bentshape. And the stiffened segment 110 can be bent back into a shaperesembling its shape before the bending, releasing the flexible segment130 to uncoil.

In FIG. 5, the stiffened segment 110 is stiffened with a stiffeningcomponent 511; for example, a wire 510 embedded in its stiffening layer500. In the embodiment shown in the figure, the wire 510 is copper orcopper alloy, and runs essentially parallel to the axis 530 of thecable. The wire 510 is embedded integrally in the stiffening layer 500.

The material, shape, and layout of the stiffening component 511 withinthe stiffening layer 500 may vary. For example, the wire 510 (or anyother stiffening component 511) might be made, in whole or in part,from, e.g., some other metal; or from polymer, glass, rubber, orfiberglass. The wire 510 might not run parallel to the axis 530 of thecable 100; for example, the wire 510 might wrap the core 400 following aspiral path such as illustrated by spiral ribbing 120 of FIG. 1a andFIG. 1b . The wire 510 might have a non-circular cross section, or havea cross section that varies in shape or area along the axis. Thestiffening component 511 might have some entirely different shape, suchas a tube that encircles the axis. The stiffening component 511 might ormight not extend the entire length of the stiffened segment 110.Preferably, the stiffening layer 500 is primarily formed from a polymer,with the stiffening component 511 embedded.

In some embodiments, there might be a plurality of stiffening component511 s, which might or might not be of the same type, geometry, or layoutwithin the cable. As a simple example, consider a stiffening layer 500with 3 wires, each parallel to the axis 530, arranged at equal anglesabout the axis 530. The stiffening layer 500 itself might be composed ofmaterials, such as a polymer or a metal (or composition/compound)thereof, so that no stiffening component 511, distinct from the layeritself, is required.

Each of the three layers may include at least one material that differsin a physical or chemical property from all materials in the other twolayers. Preferably, the sheath 520 and stiffening layer 500 each includea polymer of different composition from the other. The sheath 520, orouter layer, might also be fabricated primarily from fiberglass, carbonand fiber, fiber, or rubber.

Preferably, the stiffening layer 500 is formed by joint extrusion of thestiffening component 511 (e.g., wire) together with a polymer in whichthe stiffening component 511 is embedded.

Preferably, the sheath 520 is formed primarily from polymer by plasticinjection molding, which also bonds the sheath 520 to the stiffeninglayer 500 and, if in direct contact, to the core 400 layer.Alternatively, this bonding might be formed, at least in part, bymelting, by welding, or by an adhesive.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the use of wrapping to eliminate excesslength in a cable 100. After the start 600, the flexible segment 130 (ora portion thereof) is formed 610 into a coil 200. The stiffened segment110 is bent 620 and wrapped around it. To release the coiled part, thestiffened segment 110 is unwrapped 630 from the coil 200. The processends 699.

FIG. 7 is a detailed cross section through an exemplary stiffenedsegment of a cable that includes an integrated coiling and reinforcingwrapper, for example, through section A of FIG. 1a . The cylindricalcoordinate system shown in FIG. 10a and FIG. 10b provides a referencefor describing FIG. 7. FIG. 10a shows a portion of cable 100 with aconnector 140 at the left end. The portion of the cable 100 toward theconnector 140 is the proximal end 1010. Arrow 1000 points in thelongitudinal direction, distally along the axis 530 of the cable 100.FIG. 10b is a cross section through the cable at B-B. The radialdirection is outward from the axis 530, as illustrated by arrow 1020.The azimuthal direction represents an angle from some referencedirection, as illustrated by arrow 1030.

The cable 100 may contain one or more conductor wires 700, typified by700 a and 700 b, extending longitudinally. We use the word “wire” herein a general sense, meaning something that carries signal, data, orinformation through one or more conductors 701, typified by 701 a, 701b, and 701 b. A conductor 701 may include any material, such as metal,metal allow, glass, fiberglass, or some combination thereof. A conductor701 might carry, for example, electricity, video, sound, light, orpower, in analog or digital form. A conductor wire 700 might include oneor more fillers 710 for spacing or to protect the conductors 701. Aconductor wire 700 may include a wire sheath 702, an outer wrapping tocontain and secure the conductors 701. The wire sheath 702 might includematerials or be structured to shield the conductors 701; for example,the wire sheath 702 might prevent electromagnetic radiation fromescaping, or incoming radiation from affecting transmissions through theconductor wire 700.

Likewise, the collection of conductor wires 700 may be wrapped by one ormore jackets 703, such as inner jacket 703 a and outer jacket 703 b,forming with their contents a wire assembly. A jacket 703 might servethe purpose of shielding, retention of contents, or both. In theillustrated embodiment, inner jacket 703 a retains the collection ofconductors 701, while the outer jacket 703 b is formed from a braidedmaterial for shielding against electromagnetic interference. The innerjacket 703 a may also have a shielding function, and might be made fromfoil shield.

The stiffened cable may have one or more flexible layers 705 thatenclose the wire assembly. A flexible layers 705 bend easily by hand. Aflexible layer 705 might be applied in a variety of ways. For example, aflexible layer 705 might be formed by plastic injection of a tubedirectly around the current assembly—that is, the wire assembly plus anyflexible layer 705 and stiffeners 704 already incorporated at the timewhen the flexible layer 705 is added. A flexible layer 705 might beformed by molding as a tube separately, and then pulled over the currentassembly. A flexible layer 705 might be formed as a strip of material,such as a flat strip, which could then be wrapped around the currentassembly and glued or welded to enclose the current assembly. Like ajacket 703, a particular flexible layer 705 might serve the purpose ofprotecting, retaining, and or shielding its contents, depending uponmaterial or structure (e.g., braiding).

In embodiments illustrated by FIG. 7, there are three flexible layers705: a wrapper layer 706, an inner grip layer 115 and an outer griplayer 116. The wrapper layer 706 wraps the wire assembly, and thestiffeners 704. A stiffener 704 might be formed of metal, such as ametal (e.g., copper, tin, aluminum, steel, or some combination or alloyof metals) wire, or any other material that can easily be bent by hand,but which essentially retains its shape once bent. There may be onestiffener 704 or a plurality of stiffeners 704. Two stiffeners 704 mighthave the same or different properties, such as composition, size, and/orshape. The stiffeners 704 may be separate, or intertwined or braidedtogether. In FIG. 7, there are two stiffeners 704 formed of copper wire.These stiffeners 704 may be wrapped around the wire assembly, along thelength of the stiffened segment of the cable, approximately spiralingalong that length. The stiffeners 704 may or may not be braidedtogether.

The wrapper layer 706 in FIG. 7 retains its contents, the wire assemblyand the stiffeners 704. Depending upon material and structure, thewrapper layer 706 may serve as a shield against electromagneticinterference, and might be made primarily of foil shield. At this pointwe should note that FIG. 7 is simplified for illustration purposes.Empty space is shown around the two stiffeners 704, while in reality,the wrapper layer 706 might be applied tightly so as to eliminate suchspace. The wrapper layer 706 will preferably be flexible, and may beapplied by shrink wrapping.

The inner grip layer 115 in FIG. 7 protects its contents during use ofthe stiffened cable. It is made of a flexible material, such as polymer,rubber, cloth braid, nylon, or polyester. The flexibility allows it tobe bent, and held in shape once bent by the stiffeners 704. It issufficiently thick to serve a cushioning function. Preferably, the innergrip layer 115 is soft to the touch. The illustrative inner grip layer115 of FIG. 1a is tubular, and extends over the length of the stiffenedsegment. As illustrated by FIG. 8, a inner grip layer 115 may havebonding slits 800, as typified by slit 800 a, to facilitate bondingbetween the inner grip layer 115 and the outer grip layer 116. If theouter grip layer 116 is injection-molded onto the inner grip layer 115,molten material of the outer grip layer 116 may pour into the bondingslits 800, and upon cooling serve to lock the layers together. Ofcourse, shapes other than slits might work as well.

An outer grip layer 116, such as the spiral ribbing 120 of FIG. 1a , isoptional. Although an outer grip layer 116 may be largely decorative, itdoes add additional protection during use of the cable for the layersthat it wraps. a spiral arrangement makes the stiffened segment 110 easyto grip, especially if the material of the outer grip layer 116 is softto the touch compared to, for example, a metal wire. Preferably, theinner grip layer 115 and the outer grip layer 116 will each have arespective Shore durometer between 25 and 75 on the A scale.

As shown in FIG. 1a , either or both ends of the stiffened segment 110may be terminated with an end cap 160. The end cap 160 retains thevarious layes of the stiffened segment 110, including any stiffener 704from moving longitudinally along the cable. Typically, an end cap 160will have a donut or ring shape, thereby allowing the conductors 701 toexit the stiffened segment. For example, the conductors 701 might becoupled to a connector 140, such as a USB connector, by (for example)soldering. An end cap 160 might be attached to the stiffened segment byjacket or by an adhesive substance, such as glue.

The cross section of FIG. 7 can be regarded as a sequence of layersarranged radially in the stiffened segment 110. The layers include: (a)a conductor layer including sheathed conductors; shielding layers, suchas (b) inner jacket 703 a and (c) outer jacket 703 b; (d) stiffeninglayer with one or more stiffeners 704; flexible layers, including (e)wrapper layer 706, (f) inner grip layer 115, and (g) outer grip layer116. Of course, other embodiments of a cable might have fewer layers oradditional layers within the scope of the invention. Also, other formsof a stiffening layer are possible; for example, a stiffener 704 mightconsist of a tube of extruded material, such as copper or other metalalloy. In the case of the stiffener 704 wires such as illustrated inFIG. 7, there might be a any number of such wires, and they might bepositioned in any arrangement longitudinally and/or azimuthally.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for assembling a cablethat includes an integrated coiling and reinforcing wrapper. After thestart 900, each conductors is stripped 920 down to its foil shield. Theset of conductors is then enclosed 930 in a foil shield. The foilshield, containing the conductors, is then wrapped 940 with a braidedshield. Two stiffening wires are wrapped 950 around the stiffenedsegment along its length. The ends of the conductors are prepared 960for the connector, and then soldered 970 in place to the connector, andassembly of the connector is completed 972. The conductor assembly andthe stiffening wires are snugly enclosed 975 with an inner jacket ofpolymer, used for retention, preferably by injection molding. The innerjacket is enclosed 980 with a middle jacket to protect the inner jacketand other contents, preferably by injection molding. The middle jacketis enclosed 985 with an outer jacket that protects the middle jacket andother contents, preferably by injection molding. Retainer caps areattached 990 to the ends of the stiffened segment.

Of course, many variations of the above method are possible within thescope of the invention. The present invention is, therefore, not limitedto all the above details, as modifications and variations may be madewithout departing from the intent or scope of the invention.Consequently, the invention should be limited only by the followingclaims and equivalent constructions.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a) a cable, having aproximal end, a distal end and an axis, the cable being capable ofcarrying electrical current, light, sound, video, or data; b) aconnector at the proximal end of the cable; c) a flexible segment ofthe; d) a stiff segment of the cable, such that the stiff segment (i) isbetween the connector and the flexible segment, is adjacent to theflexible segment, and is proximate to the connector, (ii) is moreresistant to bending than the flexible segment, and (iii) is capable ofbeing bent by hand, (iv) once bent into a shape, will retain that shapeunless bent again; and e) a first annulus-shaped cap at the distal endof the stiff segment that retards longitudinal movement of contents ofthe stiff segment.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexiblesegment is wrapped into a coiled form and the stiff segment is wrappedby hand around the coil, the bendable segment retaining the flexiblesegment in the coiled form.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thestiff segment includes (i) an inner layer, containing an electricalwire, (ii) an outer layer, that encloses the inner layer and theintermediate layer, and (iii) an intermediate layer, between the innerand outer layer, containing a stiffening component.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein each of the three layers includes a material thatdiffers in a physical or chemical property from all materials in theother two layers.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the outer andintermediate layers each include a polymer of different composition fromthe other.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the outer layer isfabricated primarily from fiberglass, carbon and fiber, or fiber.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein the intermediate layer contains a secondstiffening component along an interval of length that includes the firststiffening component.
 8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein thestiffening component includes a wire that is oriented essentiallyparallel to the axis over at least half of the stiff segment of thecable.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wire is a copper orcopper-alloy wire.
 10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the stiffeningcomponent is a wire that is wrapped in a spiral around the inner layer.11. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the stiffening component includesmetal, polymer, glass, or fiberglass.
 12. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein the outer layer is bonded to the inner layer by, at least inpart, plastic injection molding.
 13. The apparatus of claim 3, whereinthe outer layer is bonded to the inner layer by, at least in part,melting or an adhesive.
 14. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the outerlayer is fabricated primarily from a polymer.
 15. The apparatus of claim3, wherein the intermediate layer is fabricated primarily from apolymer.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer layer isformed, and bonded to the intermediate layer, by molding.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer is formed byextrusion.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a secondstiff segment of the cable, such that the second stiff segment (i) isadjacent to the flexible segment, and is proximate to the distal end ofthe cable, (ii) is more resistant to bending than the flexible segment,and (iii) is capable of being bent by hand, and (iv) once bent into ashape, will retain that shape unless bent again.
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 18, further comprising: a second connector, at the distal end ofthe cable, and proximate to the second stiff segment.
 20. The apparatusof claim 1, further comprising: a second annulus-shaped cap at theproximal end of the stiff segment that further retards longitudinalmovement of contents of the stiff segment.
 21. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein the first and second stiffening component are braided togetherover at least a portion of their respective lengths.
 22. The apparatusof claim 3, wherein the first and second stiffening components each havea spiral shape over at least a portion of their respective lengths. 23.The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the outer layer includes aspiral-shaped grip.